1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the technology of vehicle remote starting control by use of a mobile terminal.
2. Description of the Background Art
Known conventionally is a remote starter that controls a driving apparatus such as an engine or a motor of user's vehicle by use of a mobile terminal. By use of this technology, a user can start the driving apparatus of his or her vehicle that is away from the user. Therefore, in an example, the user can turn on an air conditioner to control the temperature of the vehicle cabin to be appropriate before the user gets in his or her vehicle. Known these days is a remote operation system that operates an on-vehicle apparatus of the vehicle via a center by use of a mobile phone as a mobile terminal.
In common cases when the user uses the remote starter, the user is far from the vehicle. However, when the user is too far away from the vehicle, it may be impossible for the user to get in the vehicle in a short time. In such a case, starting the driving apparatus by a remote starting function to control the temperature in the vehicle cabin may be useless. To prevent this, whether to start the driving apparatus may be judged based on the calculated distance between the user and the user's vehicle, upon reception of the request for starting.
However, in this case, the center has to communicate with the vehicle to check the vehicle position every time the user makes the request for starting. This causes frequent communications between the center and the vehicle, which may increase communication costs. Furthermore, since it takes a certain period of time for communications between the center and the vehicle, the procedure where the center confirms the vehicle position after receiving the request for starting from the user may take a longer time to actually transmit information of the appropriateness of starting to the user.
Furthermore, since keeping a vehicle in the idling condition exerts adverse effects on the environment, no vehicle is allowed, in some areas, to be kept in the idling condition. The driving apparatus of the vehicle parked in such an area can not be started remotely. Moreover, in some other areas where a user almost always comes back to the vehicle in a short time after getting out, there is no need to control the room temperature of the vehicle in advance. In such an area, remotely starting the driving apparatus of the vehicle is rarely executed.
If the vehicle position is transmitted to the center even in such a case where the remote starting is not executed, it generates communication with the center, and increases data communication traffic and communication costs.